To Eternity (20 page)

Chapter 29

She stilled the desperate need to escape and made whining mewls of submission in a plea for her captor to ease the painful grip holding her to the woodland floor. When he did, she'd turn and rip his throat out.

The big gray male above seemed to hear her thoughts because he added more weight to her burden. He pressed down heavily on her with his front paws, and growling, he showed her a deadly set of vicious teeth.

A dribble of his saliva hit her eye and made her blink.

The gray male howled.

She shivered, unable to fight or escape his weight.

A second of despair passed before an answering snarl came from across the way, and pinned as she was, she tilted her head so she could see the wolf of her longings. She wanted to be his, to mate with him, to lie in the deep darkness next to his heat and rest her head on his shoulder. Her vision bleared. She scarcely had enough breath for a whimper.

“Be
still.
Don't
look
at
him.
You're
mine!”

She shuddered at the words from the gray wolf who shoved her spine into the dirt. Recognition hit.
“Franklyn.”
She'd never be his, not this side of paradise. All her hope of happiness lay a few steps away.

“Magnus!”
The name ripped from her mind, tore its way out, bloody and desperate. She twitched in the aftermath.

“Let
her
go,
Gorsewell,
your
grievance
is
with
me.”

His calm words stilled her terror. She closed her eyes from the revolting view of the gray wolf's erection as he stood over her chest. Both his front paws pressed down harder and she struggled to breathe.

“She'll
run
if
I
let
her
up.”

“So?
If
you
try
to
take
her,
I
will
kill
you.
If
you
try
to
make
a
move
to
harm
her
more,
I
will
kill
you.
Are
you
ready
to
die
this
night?”

She sucked in a gasp as the pressure on her chest eased a little.

“You
don't
have
the
courage
to
fight
me.
You're
all
talk.”

The bunched shoulder muscles and raised lips over fierce teeth said the gray wolf lied. Magnus would fight. The heaviness of the gray's weight forced a whimper from her lips. A snarl rang in her ears and made its way into her chest. She closed her eyes and lay limp as one dead.

The gray wolf holding her eased more of his weight from her with a tentative paw.
“Come
take
her
corpse
from
me!”

A howl to fill the cosmos shook her bones. Franklyn-wolf leaped. She rolled away. Magnus-wolf met the attack as the gray smashed into him. He spun, dislodging his foe, who sprawled heavily before jerking upright.

Crouched less than a tail length beyond the space where the two of them fought, she screeched a howl. At least her wolf knew she still lived and would help him if she could.

Dust, leaves, twigs, and dirt flew about them. Each slash of claws hissed with a weight-laden
woosh
through the air. Snarls and howls stung her ears.

She scrunched her body tight and didn't breathe as finally one of them made contact. A spray of blood spattered against a low-lying oak branch. The gray wolf lifted red-stained claws high in the moonlight. Each tip dripped a scatter of scarlet blood beads, and he screamed his triumph before diving deep into the shadows, slashing down another blow.

The night shook with the power of the snarls, the grunts drawn from each by the pain from biting injuries. Back and forth, they moved fast as they fought. Every time Magnus seemed to have a grip on his foe, Franklyn, his head blooded by a wound, somehow slithered free.

She struggled to control her need to enter the battle, to protect the male she wanted from further harm. Crouched on all fours, her belly pressed to the ground, she jiggled her body weight from one side to the other while she waited, seeking a space to join the fray.

The gray wolf suddenly stilled, all its muscles rigid. The ruff of fur stood, and a sudden spray of urine gushed. She turned her face from the stench, but desperate to see what had happened, she swiveled back.

“One
move
and
I
will
take
your
brain
and
eat
it.”

The words echoed like a chorus about the woods. The gray wolf had frozen, its head caught between Magnus-wolf's powerful jaws. It didn't move.

Gladness filled her heart.

“If
I
press
here,
you
will
be
dead.
Are
you
ready
to
die?”

Shrill whining came as the answer. Magnus-wolf flipped its victim around in response, his toothy grip still obvious as loose soil swirled from the scrabbling claws of the other wolf. Another rash of yaps and whimpers, each higher pitched than the last.

She couldn't bear the pitiful squeals.
“Stop!”

Teeth barred as he gripped his prey tight, Magnus-wolf met her gaze with one golden and rich.
“He
would
have
raped
you,
killed
you
perhaps.
Are
you
certain
I
should
simply
allow him
to go?”

She bowed her head. Whatever he thought to do, she'd agree. A quickening of fear returned at the memory of Franklyn-wolf holding her pinned to the ground. She swept her glance away from the blood-laced grasses, from the dark patches on Magnus's beautiful apricot-tipped fur, the slowly spreading stain and drip of blood from the gray's ears.

“Walk
back
to
the
lake.
I'll
find
you
there.”

She nodded, and turning into the nearest path among the trees, she left the two males alone.

Not many steps on, a screech sent the birds up from their night nests. She hung her head. This night, the prelude to their bonding, should have been filled with love and the sweetness of brilliant moonlight, not this ugliness making her shiver. She sucked in another breath as the next wild cry echoed up to the stars. She couldn't bear it.

“Stop.
Please,
Magnus.
Stop.”

She doubted he'd hear her, and even if he did, he wouldn't stop. Dragging her steps, she found herself at the edge of the woods, moonlight still glossing a thin sliver of the lake. She walked until she could lie down on frosty turf in the last scrap of the silvery beams
.

The wind raked over her, battered against her, and she closed her eyes, burying her nose between her furry paws. Her stomach churned as she waited, breathing out smoky white puffs into the night air.

“Beloved?”

She lifted her head from the warmth and looked at his bloodied mouth.
“You
killed
him?”

“No.
I
allowed
him
to
live.”
He sank down beside her.

The stench of blood and urine overwhelmed his powerful fragrance. She nosed him, pressing lightly against his thick fur.
“Franklyn-wolf
is
gone?”

He gave a low grunt when he rested his head against her shoulder. His pain thudded through her, but the gashes and slashes would heal. She tilted her head to touch her muzzle to his despite the smears of blood.
“I
love
you.”

“I
know.
We
must
move.”

“Why?”

“We
can't
rest
here.”
He lifted his head and pointed his nose toward the pagoda on the lake.
“In
there,
until
the
day
is
done.”

She looked up to the sky. The moon had tracked across and sunk beyond the trees. Her first night in wolf form neared its end.
“Will
we
dream
together?”

He hauled himself up, a little unsteady. She stood beside him, ready to help if he needed her to, and shook her head at the savage slashes down his flank. Their slow paces matched, they walked in union as they headed toward the causeway.

Pausing at the lake edge, Magnus-wolf lapped water, then led her across the wooden boards and into the shadows inside the pagoda. He slumped down in the corner. She joined him, nestling close despite the smell of the fight still clinging to his fur. The short November day must pass before they could run through the woods together again.

She yawned, curled up, and wrapped her long tail over her face. Magnus-wolf shifted until she lay in the curve of one of his front paws. The rest of his body warmed her as he pressed himself against her.

Tomorrow night must be sweeter than this one had been for they would be alone together in the moonlight.

Chapter 30

She woke to the warmth of his tongue against her lips.

Soft gold with brighter flecks, his gaze searched hers.

She yawned.

“Run
with
me.”
He swiped his tongue up the side of her face again. Warm and fragrant, his caress sent a shock of sensation through her body.

The luxury of peace, of his touch, of the shimmer of moonlight through the open door—all of it stole any concerns from yesterday.
“Catch me.”
Her thought danced away between the shine and shadows.

He batted her with a padded paw, his demon sharp claws sheathed to stroke her.
“Wanton.
Run
with
me.”

Her body flashed with brilliant sparks of lust at his lightest caress. She sucked in a deep breath, filled with his enticement, and stood. Arching her back, she stretched her legs.

His hungry groan echoed around them in the shadows.

She turned to meet his brilliant golden gaze as it locked on hers.
“My
beautiful
she.
I
need
you.”

A sudden flashback to the woman Sian made her wobble. Shaking her head, she blinked until her vision settled to that of the wolf. “
Magnus,
my
mind
keeps
swapping.”

“You
need
something
other
than
fear
to
pin
you
to
the
here
and
now.
Run
with
me.”

She sidestepped his closeness, twisted and hopped, for his feet stepped in between hers no matter which way she moved. Finally, with his low, grumbling, pleasure growls in her ears, she managed to get to the door with him half wrapped around her. The lure of him urged her to slide against him. They needed more room.

The moonlight beckoned, but her ache for him kept her steady, waiting for him to stand beside her, shoulder and hip aligned. Her body tingled when he joined her, his hip nudging hers, his eyes fixed on her as he rolled his shoulder to massage hers. A flood of her scent mingled with the powerful wave of his.

The thick aroma of mating wolves increased her arousal.

“Run.”

She did, streaking away from him as fast as she could with the one intent that he should follow her. The light from the full and fat moon beamed off the lake, illuminating the trees on the horizon as she headed toward them. The sound of his breathing, as he ran behind her, told her he was no more than a pace or two from catching her.

His paw snagged her back foot. She rolled, tumbling over and over until, her breath fast and her heartbeat quicker, she stilled. Magnus-wolf stood over her, tilting his head down so she could lick at his muzzle should she wish.
“Too
slow,
my
she.”

Her gaze remained locked on his, fixed on the promise of love. All her nipples tingled. Her cry, half howl, half moan, tore into the night.

The one comfort she could seek was from him, yet at this moment, her fear robbed the peace of love from her. She fought to find herself within the wolf, or the wolf within herself, and screeched into the night.
“Help
me.”

“Be
mine.
All
mine.”

“Always.”
His scent as he rubbed against her, stroking her fur the wrong way, smoothing it down after, stoked her desire. Heat flashed through her, centering in her loins and heating her belly. She stroked her neck against his and pressed her flank against him.

He breathed, opening his mighty jaws.
“You taste so good.”

The aroma in the air came from the lust for him coursing through her body. She needed him to satisfy the longing deep inside.

She flipped her tail under his nose. His low-throated growl showed his pleasure.

“Now, Magnus.”

Their shadows, cast by the brilliance of moonlight, combined as he mounted. His breath rushed past her ear and she bore his weight on shuddery paws. Above, the stars swam in the blackness as she accepted him, tilted her head with an ecstatic howl and thrust back toward him.
Yes!

Time ceased. Nothing in her life as woman or wolf had been as vital. Every part of her body tingled with the frenzied blasts of satisfaction that didn't stop even when Magnus-wolf stilled, panting above her.

He nudged her with a gentle nose, so she lowered herself to the ground with him still buried deep within her. “
My
life
is
yours,
my
mate.”

Warmth cocooned her. His fur beside her silky soft, his tongue rasping against her face, his body twined with hers, his erection buried deep within, all swamped her in delight.
“I
am
yours
forever.”

“Until
the
world
stops
turning.”

She groaned and growled as she closed her eyes. They would pleasure each other every time the moon became full.

They remained locked together, blissful, sharing the mutual delight of their bonding as the moon tracked across the sky. Tonight the bright moonbeams danced on his fur and hers where the strands mingled.

Never could she have enough of him. Always she would long for him. She whimpered when finally he withdrew and left her body bereft without him as part of her.

“You
are
mine
and
me.
I
am
yours
and
you.
Feel
it.”

She reached up to lick his face. The sensation inside her so powerful she could barely lift herself from the turf that their combined body heat had warmed.
“Will
it
always
be
as
intense
as
this?”

“Yes.”

Another attempt and she managed to stand. She stared into his golden eyes where she found the mirror of herself. All her love and need, desire and hope, a myriad of emotions centered on this one man, wolf.
“You are my mate.
Let's
hunt.”

The passionate bonding with Magnus-wolf altered everything. They shared every sense as they hunted. He moved with her as they padded over the grass and into the woods. No challenge from Franklyn-wolf rang tonight.

“No,
he
is
not
dead.
He
will
return
here,
but
only
in
answer
to
my
command.”

She hoped Franklyn-wolf's return wouldn't be for a very long time yet. Instinct made her turn her head at the exact moment Magnus-wolf did. He shot off at a race, and before she could blink, all three rabbits feeding in the moonlight succumbed to the swiftness of the wind raised by his paw. The little creatures froze briefly, as if surprised to be dispatched, before they fell, dead. He brought one over to her and deposited it at her feet.

While he returned to fetch the others, she ate, snapping small bones and pulling away chunks of fluff to get to warm meat. Tasty enough in its way, but she'd hoped for a bigger meal. After eating, they ran through the woods together, him in front and then her. They raced each other, skidding down the slope where they rolled amidst the crisp leaves together. Her heart, still full of him from their coupling, soared with the compulsive joy of being with her mate.

This union between them, forged by their link and their mating, would grow stronger. The love wrapped around each of them, a gift from the other, would swell and bloom like a mighty tree in the forest. They would be one.

Magnus-wolf nuzzled, offering her sweet caresses with his lips and tongue. She arched her neck so he could continue in his attentions.

The moon moved across the sky, and with the first hint of approaching dawn, they returned to the pagoda. She took a long drink from the icy lake water. Inside the shelter, they settled together in the corner. Magnus-wolf curled his body around her.

One night remained before they would leave their wolf-forms behind.
A
pity.